First published in 1934, The Postman Always Rings Twice caused a scandal with its explosive mix of violence and sex, and immediately became a bestseller. The torrid story of Frank Chambers, the amoral drifter, Cora, the sullen and brooding wife, and Nick Papadakis, the amiable but inconvenient husband, has become a classic of its kind, and established Cain as a major novelist with a spare and vital prose style and a bleak vision of America.
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First published in 1934, The Postman Always Rings Twice caused a scandal with its explosive mix of violence and sex, and immediately became a bestseller. The torrid story of Frank Chambers, the amoral drifter, Cora, the sullen and brooding wife, and Nick Papadakis, the amiable but inconvenient husband, has become a classic of its kind, and established Cain as a major novelist with a spare and vital prose style and a bleak vision of America.
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Seller's Description:
First edition of one of the most important crime novels of the twentieth century, adapted as a motion picture seven times. Octavo, original cloth. Boldly Signed by James M. Cain on the front free endpaper. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light rubbing to the crown. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. A very nice example, rare and desirable signed. "It is sometimes easy to trace a literary genre to its source, and James M. Cain's first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, is the noir novel that paved the way for all the noir fiction that followed. The famous film starring Lana Turner and John Garfield is notoriously dark, but the novel is even more full of despair and devoid of hope. It is a short book--little more than a novella--but its searing characterization and depiction of tawdry greed and lust is branded into every reader's memory" (Otto Penzler). Listed by Modern Library as one of the 100 greatest novels of the twentieth century.
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine in Near Fine jacket. First edition. Boards are slightly soiled and near fine, with a supplied proof dustwrapper which came directly from the estate of the artist Arthur Hawkins, Jr. The jacket has been folded with a crease at the spine, Knopf's small Borzoi logo has been cut away from the rear panel (possibly for another design by Hawkins), and Hawkins has written the date "1933" on the front flap, although the book wasn't released until 1934. However the jacket is exceptionally bright and otherwise fine, and about 1/4" taller than the finished version, to which we have compared it (although otherwise identical to it). The jacket was unsigned by Hawkins, unlike most of his work, but is credited to him in Heller and Chwast's seminal study of jacket design, *Jackets Required*-the survival of this proof in his estate seems to confirm their research. A milestone of hardboiled literature that was the basis for the classic 1946 film featuring Lana Turner and John Garfield (as well as at least three other versions). *Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone. * This proof jacket is likely unique.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Dust Jacket Included. First edition, first printing. Original publisher's orange cloth, titles and decorations printed in blue to front board and spine, blue top stain; original black, red and white dust jacket with wavy design. Near fine book with a touch of soiling to top edge of text block, light wear to bottom edges of boards, and previous owner's bookplate to front pastedown; very good unclipped dust jacket with a bit of wear to jacket flap hinges and spine ends, closed tear to bottom two inches of spine, small closed tear to bottom of rear panel, a bit of soiling and smudging to rear panel, and minor toning to spine. Overall, a sturdy copy in a bright example of its iconic dust jacket. In The Postman Always Rings Twice, a drifter named Frank Chambers takes a job at a rural diner, and he and the owner's wife, Cora, quickly begin a passionate affair. Longing to be free from Cora's husband, the two brutally murder him, but their bond begins to fray when they enter the legal system and are pitted against one another. The first novel written by James M. Cain, The Postman Always Rings Twice was an instant classic of the “hard-boiled” genre. The title's meaning has been the source of some speculation, but Cain has said that the “postman” represents fate, and the two rings refer to Frank and Cora's initial escape from, and ultimate suffering of consequences for their crime. The book was influenced by Émile Zola's Thérèse Raquin, and in turn influenced Albert Camus in his writing of The Stranger. It was adapted into numerous films, most notably the 1946 film noir classic starring John Garfield and Lana Turner.
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Seller's Description:
First edition of one of the most important crime novels of the twentieth century, adapted as a motion picture seven times. Octavo, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in five compartments within raised bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt ruled inner dentelles stamp-signed by the Harcourt Bindery, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In fine condition. An exceptional presentation. "It is sometimes easy to trace a literary genre to its source, and James M. Cain's first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, is the noir novel that paved the way for all the noir fiction that followed. The famous film starring Lana Turner and John Garfield is notoriously dark, but the novel is even more full of despair and devoid of hope. It is a short book--little more than a novella--but its searing characterization and depiction of tawdry greed and lust is branded into every reader's memory" (Otto Penzler). Listed by Modern Library as one of the 100 greatest novels of the twentieth century.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good jacket. Octavo. Signed and Inscribed By James M. Cain 188pp. Orange cloth boards, dark blue/black titles and decoration on spine and front board. Slight spine lean. Spine darkened/shows evidence of handling. Pages evenly toned, otherwise clean and unmarked. Dust jacket shows mild wear at spine ends and is clipped at all four corners, no price evident. Jacket in mylar sleeve. Letter from Cain to a Mr. O'Dell tipped in on front paste down, dated May 16, 1938. It reads, “The autograph part is nothing, but having a book on my hands to be attended to I avoid like poison, as sometimes I forget about it, or lose it, and there is one more person who feels with some reason I have been guilty of a dirty trick. Below is an inscription for your book, so cut it out and paste it in, it'll do just as well. ” Signature itself tipped in on front free endpaper, To Mr. Robert Emmet O'Dell with best regards, James M. Cain, May 16, 1938. Triangle edition of Cain's classic crime novel, famously adapted as a 1946 film starring Lana Turner and John Garfield and widely viewed as an essential part of the film noir canon.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. 1934 3rd printing February 1934 in original $2 priced jacket with lightly stained spine and edge wear. No marks, original publisher's top stain. Please email for photos.
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Seller's Description:
First edition, first printing. Very Good, lacking dust jacket. Offsetting to end papers. First 8 page leafs have a tiny tear at the side edge. Foxing to side of page block and cloth. Sunning to spine. The novel that inspired the classic 1946 film noir.
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Seller's Description:
Book. Octavo, 192 pages. In Very Good minus condition, and lacking issued dust jacket. Bound in yellow cloth with black lettering. Minor shelf wear. Soiling to spine and boards. Some age-toning to edges of textblock. Interior pages clean. Shelved in Case 6. 1372889. Shelved Dupont Bookstore.
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Seller's Description:
Good in Good jacket. Book The 6th printing in the same year of the first edition-1934. Colorful DJ is not price-clipped, tanned & rubbed from age & handling, now protected in mylar. Boards are well-bound, upper end of spine sunned, foxing along textbox edges, pages clean & bright.
